Waukesha County Hosts Americorps NCCC Members to Help Improve Parkland, Ecosystems

(WAUKESHA, WI) – Waukesha County Parks has partnered with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to improve the ecology of approximately 300 acres of natural areas within Waukesha County. The AmeriCorps NCCC members are improving areas of highly threatened, rare oak ecosystems throughout July and August.

“We are grateful to have the AmeriCorps members assisting with these important land management and habitat restoration efforts,” said County Executive Paul Farrow. “Their support helps us accomplish this large scale project while saving tax payer dollars.”

The 8 AmeriCorps NCCC members will conduct on-the-ground restoration at five high priority oak ecosystem sites. The restoration sites at Nashotah Park, Naga-Waukee Park, and three preserves owned by TNC were prioritized for work because they have been found to support hundreds of species of plants and wildlife including threatened or rare reptile, amphibian, bird, mammal and invertebrate species. Stewardship related activities will consist of woody invasive brush removal, native plant seed collection and cleaning for planting, and prescribed fire break installation.

The completed projects will drastically improve the health of the park’s oak savannas within Waukesha County. The AmeriCorps NCCC team will also help in facilitating community engagement and education about the project and oak ecosystem restoration via workshops, volunteer workdays, citizen science, and outreach campaigns.

About AmeriCorps NCCCAmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and its FEMA Corps unit engages up to 2,200 young Americans in a full-time, 10-month commitment to service each year. AmeriCorps NCCC members address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, and urban and rural development; FEMA Corps members are solely dedicated to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery work. The programs are administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs and leads the nation's volunteering and service efforts. Accepting applications to serve in NCCC at http://bit.ly/Apply-for-NCCC. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

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